Monthly Archives: March 2015

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that people who went through tough stuff before coming to Christ are wrong in some way, but I think that their testimonies have somehow become exalted. And it’s so dangerous. Trust me, I speak from personal experience.

Up until I was about 14, I had what people tend to think of as a “boring” testimony. As a preteen and teenager, I heard so many testimonies of how God pulled people out of the depths of prostitution, substance abuse, and suicide. I saw those testimonies as so much more worthy than my “boring” one, and I began to wish I had a better testimony. And while I know it isn’t the only reason I got involved in a lot of tough stuff, I do think that in some ways I was seeking something that would make my story more “valid”. I wish that I could say that I still have a boring testimony, but so much has happened since I was that innocent 14 year old.

I’m here today to say that a boring testimony is the best testimony! If I only knew this five years ago, I would have saved myself so much pain and heartache.

That is why, when I have my own kids some day, I will teach them the righteousness of having a simpler testimony, one that involves them growing up in the church. I will teach them that they are not boring and their efforts to stay close to God are not futile. I will teach them that they don’t need to beat addictions or survive a suicide attempt and dramatically turn back to God to be a “good” Christian.

Instead of putting these more complex testimonies above the others, let’s celebrate instead the faithfulness of God in every person’s life, and if you have a “boring” testimony, instead of wishing for a better story, thank God for sparing you from the pain.